My humble days in ancient times

At the entrance of Xujia Village stands a giant locust tree of unknown age. On weekdays, people like to sit under it and chat.

At this time, the biting cold wind whistled from time to time, so everyone ran to Uncle Xu's house, which was closest to the village entrance.

Uncle Xu's house has three houses facing north and south, two east wing rooms, and a high wall, all made of blue bricks.

Whenever someone asks him why he built his house so well, Grandpa Xu always says seriously, "There's no other way. We live too close to the village entrance, and we're a marginal household. It's not peaceful, so I have to put in some effort."

However, everyone knew it clearly: after all, it was all because of money. After all, there were only a few families in the village who could afford such a large blue brick courtyard.

The high wall provided a nice break from the wind. Some people stood leaning against the wall, while others sat on stools, enjoying the sun and chatting. It was quite comfortable.

Everyone was chatting about gossip and basking in the sun, it was so pleasant.

Suddenly, Zhang San started dancing with excitement as if he had discovered a new world, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Look everyone, is that Xu Dachuan? There seems to be a woman following him!"

Widow Wang narrowed her eyes, took a closer look, and said confidently, "It's Xu Dachuan. Why did he bring a woman back? How strange!"

At this moment, everyone was staring at the village entrance, their eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

As Xu Dachuan and the woman approached, Widow Wang couldn't wait to ask, "Dachuan, who is the woman next to you?"

Xu Dachuan looked a little unnatural and said casually, "It's a distant relative." After that, he hurriedly took Tian Yuhe away.

However, the crowd behind them "exploded" as if a pot had burst into flames.

Aunt Li frowned and said indignantly, "How come Dachuan brought a woman back less than a month after He's death? This is outrageous!"

Zhang San also chimed in, "Is this woman his relative? How come I've never seen her before? It's really strange!"

This amount of information was really too much. Everyone was discussing it one after another. It was a bit difficult to digest it, and their heads were full of questions.

At the side of the road, Xu Dachuan stopped and said, "Sister, you followed me all the way and now we've reached our village. What's going on? No, I think this isn't right."

The woman's eyes were red. "Brother, I have no choice. I'm unfamiliar with the place and don't even know anyone. I can only follow you."

Xu Dachuan said patiently, "Why are you following me? Why don't you think about it again and think about whether you have any relatives or friends here... Or you should go look for your relatives or something."

The woman's surname was Tian, ​​and her name was Tian Yuhe. She became anxious when she heard this: "Brother, I really have nowhere to go. I have fled all the way from the north, and I really have nowhere to go." After she finished speaking, tears flowed down her face.

The two of them haggled for a long time, and Xu Dachuan's patience was exhausted.

Finally, Xu Dachuan had no choice but to admit defeat. Seeing that she was still sobbing, he said, "Don't cry, sister. There is always a way out. Come back with me first, and we'll talk later!"

Only then did Tian Yuhe stop crying.

Xu Qinghe and the others were busy preparing dinner when their father, Xu Dachuan, returned. Ever since their mother's passing, Xu Dachuan had suddenly aged several years and seemed less energetic. He had always been quiet and quiet, and now he seemed even more sullen.

As soon as Xu Dachuan entered the yard, Xu Ruyi and his two siblings noticed Tian Yuhe. A wave of shock and excitement surged in their hearts, and then there were waves of ups and downs.

"Dad, who is she?" Xu Ruyi saw the woman before him. Although thin, she had a sharp look in her eyes and a dark complexion. Her clothes were not much better than his own, and she was carrying a tattered bag on her back.

"You can call her Auntie Tian." Xu Dachuan said in a somewhat unnatural tone, and then said to Tian Yuhe, "These are my four children: the eldest, Qinghe; the second, Ruyi; the third, Ruyuan; and the fourth, Qingyan."

"Qinghe is good, Ruyi is good, Ruyuan is good, Qingyan is good..." Tian Yuhe said in a somewhat flattering tone.

"Hello, Auntie Tian..."

After the four brothers and sisters greeted each other, Xu Qinghe and Xu Ruyi turned and went into the kitchen.

"Brother, is she a relative of ours?"

"Relatives? Although we don't have many relatives, why don't I have any impression of her?" Xu Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "Definitely not."

The brother and sister brought the prepared meal into the main room.

Xu Dachuan took a look and invited Tian Yuhe to the table for dinner.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you, big brother." Tian Yuhe said politely.

"It's okay." Xu Dachuan forced a smile.

Each person on the table had a bowl of whole grain porridge and a plate of mixed wild vegetables. There were also a few vegetable dumplings on the worn plate.

Many people in the village don’t have enough to eat, so this kind of food is not bad.

The sudden appearance of a stranger in the house made the atmosphere tense. Everyone lowered their heads and ate.

After eating, Xu Qinghe cleaned up the dishes, washed the pots and pans, and then boiled a pot of hot water.

After soaking their feet, the four brothers and sisters prepared to go to bed.

Xu Ruyi and Xu Ruyuan had just climbed onto the bed when Xu Dachuan came over and suggested, "Why don't you let Auntie Tian stay with you for one night?"

Xu Ruyi politely refused: "Dad, this is not appropriate. Why don't you let her go to grandma's house, or live in Aunt Wang's house." Aunt Wang was Widow Wang.

It is said that there is a lot of trouble around a widow's door, but Widow Wang's house is close by.

"Why don't you stay here tonight and talk about it tomorrow."

"Okay!" Xu Ruyi was a little reluctant: after all, they were not familiar with each other, and it would be unnatural to sleep together.

Sister Xu Ruyuan grunted and got up from the other end of the bed, choosing to sleep next to her sister on this side.

Going to bed as soon as it gets dark, how can you sleep so early? Xu Ruyi recalled that she used to go to bed after 10 o'clock, and sometimes she would play on her phone, watch videos on Douyin, or read novels until 12 o'clock!

Xu Ruyi thought of the short videos of others cooking delicious food that she often watched in the past, and couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

It would be fine if she didn't think about it, but the more she thought about it, the hungrier she became. She felt that in this day and age, she didn't have to worry about getting fat.

In fact, ordinary people in this era were indeed much thinner.

It turns out that if you don’t eat enough, you will be thin and not fat.

Xu Ruyi really wants to do a livestream right now, and then play with her long hair. To those beauty-conscious people who want to lose weight, she has this to say: "Losing weight is so simple. As long as you don't eat too much every day, you'll definitely have a good figure. Yeah!"

But it's useless to think about it now, so it's better not to think about it. Oh, I'd better go to sleep!

Xu Ruyi was half asleep, yet half asleep. She turned over and moved her feet, but there was no one under her feet. She stretched her feet everywhere, but couldn't touch Tian Yuhe.

It was so late at night, could she have gone out to relieve herself? Could she be a thief? After all, I knew nothing about her. How could I trust everything she said?

Xu Ruyi tiptoed out of bed. The door was open. She walked out of the west wing and checked the door to the main room. Her hand gently touched the bolt. Hey, the door was still closed. What happened?

Just as she was thinking, Xu Ruyi heard a voice coming from the east ear room, which seemed to be Tian Yuhe's. What was going on?

Xu Ruyi felt like she'd been caught in a tizzy for no apparent reason. What a cliché! Even movies wouldn't film it this way. Did they really understand each other? They'd only known each other for less than a day.

At this moment, Xu Dachuan's image collapsed in Xu Ruyi's heart.

Xu Ruyi was no longer sleepy at this moment, so she walked back and lay down on the bed. She lay in bed for a while before Tian Yuhe came in.

She walked lightly and furtively. Xu Ruyi rolled her eyes at her, but it was too dark for her to see.

Then Tian Yuhe walked carefully to the bed in the dark and lay down on it, fearing to wake them up. However, her foot accidentally touched Xu Ruyi's waist.

The feet were as cold as ice. Xu Ruyi almost screamed, but luckily she managed to hold it in. Xu Ruyi cursed in her heart: Idiot.